Coconut & Lime

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Pimm's
1/4 cup gin
1/4 cup cold water OR club soda

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 oz plain gelatin


mint leaves
thinly sliced cucumber*
thinly sliced lemon slices*
any other Pimm's Cup favorite: orange, lime, strawberries

Directions:
In a small pot, bring the lemon juice, sugar and 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Meanwhile sprinkle the gelatin into the bottom of a medium sized bowl. Pour the boiling mixture on top. Allow to cool slightly, when pour the gin, Pimm's, and the 1/4 cup water or club soda. Stir gently. Pour into wide mouth glasses. Allow to cool about 1/2 hr then refrigerate about 2 hours or set but still "loose" . Stick 1 lemon slice and 1-2 cucumber slices in each cup, suspending them in the mixture. Top with mint leaves. Return to the refrigerator and refrigerate an additional 2 hours or until set. Serve with a spoon.

*You want to use the smallest lemon and skinniest cucumber (try an English cucumber) you can find.


Yield: about 16 oz

My thoughts:

Since trying Pimm's Cup a couple of weeks ago, I've become a devotee. Part of the appeal is visual-the pretty colored liquid with the lemon, cucumber and mint floating within. I wanted to capture this look and the unique flavor of Pimm's in different medium. What better way than suspended in gelatin? Sort of like a more adult, elegant Jell-O shot, these are perfect for a light dessert.

Why is this recipe called Pimm's Cup Jelly when it is not jelly or even jelly candy? "Jelly" is a common British term for what Americans generically call "Jell-O" or gelatin. Since this is a reinterpretation of the quintessentially British Pimm's Cup, it seemed fitting to use their term.